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In honor of my favorite season {fall}, I am so excited to announce the first post to kick off our Cozy Fall Home series! This series is all about finding ways to make our home and all aspects of our lives more cozy and relaxed, even in the midst of stressful times! Throughout September and October, some blogger friends and I will be sharing our best tips for living your most cozy life.

Today's post is all about 5 quick and easy ways to turn your home into a cozy fall haven!

I have always struggled with keeping a home. There, I said it.

I LOVE a clean house, but I don't love to do the cleaning. Ha! Anyone else with me? My most important job, being a stay at home mom and wife, includes keeping a house clean and cozy and about 80% of the time I fail miserably at that. Over the years I have felt so inadequate about how I work in my home that I have almost come to the point of giving up at times and just letting the house stay a wreck. When the dishes are piled high and there are mountains of laundry to be folded, it seems like the best thing I could do to avoid being stressed out and exhausted.

It would be easy for me to just give up, but that wouldn't be the best thing for me or my family. It's important that my husband has a place to relax and unwind when he comes home. It's important for me and my daughter to have that as well! So, I'm trying to learn different ways that I can turn my home into a cozy little haven when I'm short on time (or more often, short on energy and motivation!).

When fall time comes, I get SO excited to decorate and clean my house. I LOVE the coziness of autumn and fall that it usually puts me in the mood to make my home a more relaxing atmosphere. Autumn is usually the time when guests come over for dinner parties or just to visit, so that’s always a motivation to keep my house clean and cozy so it will be presentable when people visit.

But we all know that life gets in the way and our kiddos make messes, and our home isn’t always “guest ready”. And by then the whole house is a wreck and I’m lost on how to make it look put together before guests come, especially if I don’t have a lot of time!

When I’m running short on time, here are the main 5 things I try to do when I want to turn my home into a cozy haven for guests and family:

1. Light candles, or even better, bring out the wax and warmers!

Smell is the very first thing I notice when I walk into any room, so this is always the first place I start when cozying up my home. I used to use candles every single day, but when I discovered how bad they were for my health (way too much smoke!) and how dangerous they were to be around my kids and pets, I decided to switch to warmers and wax instead. It’s been the best decision for us! Wax and warmers are SO much more versatile and they have so much more styles and scents to choose from than regular candles. There is no open flame and the wax doesn’t get hot enough to burn, so if your little ones or fur babies knock one over and the wax spills on them, its perfectly safe! I LOVE this warmer for the fall time (first one pictured below) and it works great with pretty much any fall decor you have in your home. It’s so classy and elegant! The best part is it’s only $40! Pair it with a scent like “Porch Pumpkin”, "Sweet Cream Spice" or “Cozy Cardigan” and you’ve got a house that smells AMAZING! Scentsy has a bunch of different warmers to choose from so you'll never run out of options. I've listed a few of my other favorites below. If you’re looking to save some money, check out the “specials” tabs on the website links above and go to “bundle and save”. You can get this warmer and three wax bars for only $55!

2. Do a quick house pickup

When you have kids, pets, and a husband it’s extremely hard to keep that clutter to a minimum at all times. I totally get it! If company is coming and you’re short on time, do a quick house sweep. Dust, vacuum, and mop the main areas your guests will be in. Do a quick bathroom cleanup. If you don’t have time to put away every single item that’s been strewn on the floor, put them in a room where the guests won’t be going. I know that probably goes against everything you’ve heard about keeping a clean home, but we are talking about being on a time limit here. Time to utilize the Monica closet (Friends reference in case your clueless 😉)! Go back to that room after guests leave and put things where they belong. If you want to keep things organized every day, the best thing to do is to keep a daily cleaning schedule! But for now, a quick cleanup will do since your low on time and running behind.

3. Play some music

Music always sets the mood! I love to play iHeart radio on my TV and turn it to Air1 Christian radio. The songs just speak to my heart and remind me of Jesus’s love, which I think is the perfect thing for a cozy home. Pick music that relaxes you and makes you feel good!

4. Open the curtains

Let some light in! We live in a renovated attic so sometimes the lack of natural light can get depressing at times. We have two small windows and that’s it, but as soon as I open those curtains it’s like a breath of fresh air. Turn off the lighting inside your home and just let the sun fill up your rooms!

5. Take time to breathe and relax

Your family and guests can tell when you are irritable or stressed out, and that can affect the mood and feel of your home. Even when you’re short on time, take a minute just to sit still and breathe. Don’t stress about the state of the house! It doesn’t have to be perfect. You have a family that lives well there. You are doing your best, and that is all that matters! Your attitude determines whether you have a cozy home or a crazy home, and that’s the most important thing to remember!

Those are my best tips to making your home cozy even when your short on time!